


Red Revenge

by kiri_sunshine_boi



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Asian Stephen Strange, Civil War Team Iron Man, F/F, F/M, Female Tony Stark, Gen, I REGRET NOTHING, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), aka a plot bunny that wouldn't go away, am i right eyyyy, but i'm still friendly towards team cap, but that's aus for you, i fuck with the timeline a bit, i ignore infinity war, i love how that's a tag, takes place a year after civil war, that tag is important to my soUL OKAY
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-28 15:51:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15710388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiri_sunshine_boi/pseuds/kiri_sunshine_boi
Summary: It started with a letter.-When Wanda gets a letter a few months after she and the others return home, it sets the Avengers into a spiral. Wanda regrets what she did and the Avengers were a way to make up for it. But secrets she'd hoped she'd take to the grave are clawing at her skin. The things she did under HYDRA are burning in her blood. She'd thought she could silently make up for it and not revel anything.But the past doesn't stay hidden forever and hers is catching up to her.-UPDATE INSIDE ON 08/18/2018





	1. Home Sweet Home

**Author's Note:**

> My first multi-chapter story. I'm excited as hell jfc (I'm scared as fuck jfc).
> 
> Be warned, my doves, there is different character POVs but there is a line breaker to show that.
> 
> UPDATE ON 08/18/2018: Changed the Steve/Tony to one-sided. Unsure about the Bucky/Tony at this point but I'm aiming for Stephen/Tony endgame.

**Unknown location. Unknown date.**

_The flash drive was gripped in one tightly closed fist._

_Even at 12-years-old, it was easy enough to sneak onto the train. With the large amounts of people hardly anyone would take a second glance at a child. It also made it easier to hide from those chasing her, hiding her dark hair under a hoodie she had snatched from a passing teenager._

_She had felt bad about it, but she had no doubt those chasing her would shot anyone in their path to get her if they saw her._

_It had been hard to find an empty seat; she had to travel across three different cars before she came across one. A window seat, luckily, but right by an elderly couple. They tried to engage her in talking, asking where her parents were and why she was alone. They were speaking perfect English, an American accent drifting over the other languages being spoken in the cart._

_“I am visiting my grandparents.” She smiled brightly at them, her thick accent making it known where she was from. The elderly woman returned with a sweet, grandmotherly smile of her own. “My parents could not make the trip and thought I was old enough to make it myself.”_

_The train starting to move and she pretended to fall asleep._

_The flash drive never moved from her hand. The picture almost burned in her pocket, reminding her of what she had lost._

_It took everything in her to cry silently, to let her tears roll down her face without noise. A crying child was noticeable and she didn’t want anyone else to notice her._

_It any of them had made it onto the train, it would lead them to her._

_The hoodie helped hide her tears as she watched the train leave the only home she’d ever known._

* * *

**Chapter 1: Home Sweet Home**

**Avengers Compound. May 2017.**

The rest mist danced around her fingers as Wanda sat in her old room at the Avengers Compound. A year was too long to be away from what had become her home. She had missed her room, missed the open area it was around. She had missed Vision and his attempts at cooking, but he was still a little wary around her.

She couldn’t find it in herself to blame him.

He had been trying to protect her - after getting out of the Raft, she had seen what had made Stark what her to stay in the safety of the Compound. People were angry with her, riots raging across the world.

Seeing the first ‘Burn the Witch’ sign had scared her so much, she had folded herself into a corner of the QuinJet.

Steve and Natasha and even Sam had done their best to reassure her. But she had better control of her powers. At 26, she had had them for eight years. Something sparked in her in that moment, though, and she lost control.

No matter what Steve said, that had only added to her death count.

It made her understand Stark’s guilt complex a little bit more.

Sighing, she made her way off of her bed and out of her room. Nothing had changed, her clothes and things were still in the same place. Her room had been cleaned, but she could tell it was done carefully has to not disrupt anything.

Her thin arms wrapped around herself as she made her way towards the common area, seeing Sam and Clint playing a video game. Lucky was by Clint’s feet, but perked up when he saw her and came to her.

“Hey, Wanda! Wanna come play? I’m getting bored kicking Sam’s ass.”

“Man, you won twice out of four games - don’t get so high and mighty.”

She laughed, bending to her knees to pet and kiss Lucky. Dog drool got on her face and in her hair but she hardly cared. “I will play whoever wins the fifth round.”

Both men agreed and focused on their game.

This.

She had missed this so much. Everyone being carefree, laughing and being a family. Having lost her own so young, having lost the other half of her soul, she adored having this. It couldn’t replace her own, but she loved it all the same.

“Where are Steve, Natasha and Bucky?”

Scott, she knew, was back in his home city. He had the offer of working off his parole as an Avenger but they all understood he needed to be near his daughter. Wanda admired that. The love he has for her warmed her a little bit every time she thought of it.

“At Toni’s mansion.”

There was no harsh tone to Clint’s voice, not anymore, but it was hesitated. He still felt bad about what he had said to Stark in the Raft. It had hurt her deep, as Stark called him by his last name when they spoke instead of one of her nicknames.

It was getting better. Stark had called Clint, Sam and Wanda by their first names last week. But things were still tense when it came to the genius.

‘ _We all played this wrong_ ,’ Natasha had said. Steve had agreed, to Wanda’s shock. He spoke little about it, but Wanda could see the regret in his eyes and feel it pour out of him. He had no regrets saving Bucky; he regrets what happened between himself and Stark.

No one was sure about what happened but he said it was partly his fault. He and Stark had spoken a little between their so called ‘Civil War’ and them coming home. She had told them to stay away and keep their heads down; she was working on getting them home.

And she did.

“Stark let them in?” Wanda stood, moving to fold herself into a loveseat just off to the side. Lucky laid in front of her, knowing he wasn’t allowed onto the furniture.

Sam shrugged, moving his whole body with the controller.

“Natasha said they all had a long overdo talk. It’s between the four of them and honestly, we shouldn’t pry into too hard. Whatever it is, it was enough to almost end the relationship between Steve and Stark.”

Wanda saw Clint’s jaw clench. She could feel the regret mixed in with longing. While she didn’t pry into people’s heads anymore, she couldn’t help the vibes she would get sometimes. It was hard to turn that part of her powers off or down.

The woman wanted to reach out and hug Clint but held herself back.

She wouldn’t want to distract him from his game.

It was nearly three hours later when the missing three came home. Steve still hadn’t shaved off his beard - the divorce beard, Clint had tried to joke once with only a flitch from Steve - and was rubbing at it. Natasha and Bucky followed, the redhead holding the mail.

“You three were here all day and couldn’t be bothered to get the mail.” It was not a question and said with a very deadpan voice.

Wanda had put down her controller when the three had walked in and looked sheepishly up at Natasha. “Sorry, we got a little. . . distracted.”

The older woman snorted and playfully hit Wanda on the head with one letter.

“This one's for you. No return address or even our address.” There was a hard tone to Natasha’s voice. Glancing over at Steve, she saw his jaw move and his brows drawn together in thought. Unless Stark wrote it out herself - which never happened; Wanda wasn’t even sure she used pens or pencils anymore - it could be from anyone.

And not the good anyonies.

Brows furrowed, Wanda grabbed it and ran her fingers over it. Just her name, nothing else. She could sense everyone looking at her and so, she opened it.

Her heart stopped and she felt tears gather in the corner of her eyes.

 _No, no, no,_ she chanted in her mind. She could hear the other’s calling her name but didn’t answer. It was as if water was pouring over her ears and her throat was closing up.

On the letter, in bold black writing, was one of the dates she couldn’t forget.

_August 12, 2009._

* * *

Steve stared hard at the letter, having picked it up after Wanda dropped it. The date meant nothing to him, or anyone else, but it did for Wanda. The young woman had raced to her room and shut the door, keeping it locked in place with her magic.

“That was the year she joined HYDRA.” Next to him, Natasha sipped on her water. Bucky, Sam and Clint were in the other part of the building so Steve felt comfortable talking about the organization and Wanda’s part.

“Do you think this was the day?”

Red hair shook as she took the letter.

“No, she joined in early February. She had already been there for a few months by that time and had gotten her powers near March.” The files on Wanda and Pietro weren’t much, many gaps between the years that they worked and they could never find any videos. But they did have some things.

Wanda was trying to make up for what she did in the past and so, no one questioned her too deeply. And whatever this letter was about, it was enough to rattle her.

“Did you look through the cameras? This wasn’t addressed to the Compound. Someone had to of put it in directly.” Which in itself was hard to believe.

Outside of the team and the government, no one knew the address of the Compound. Any press conferences that happened, the reporters were brought in with blackout window cars. The Compound didn’t even appear on Google Maps.

Their mail was delivered directly by Toni, Rhodes or their liaison. It was still directed to Stark Tower, who would sort it out and pass it on to be brought to them. It was left in a box on the inside of the main entrance. And no authorized personnel could even get into the area. Their home had heavy serectury massures. The forest around them had not only wiring, but sensors that alerted a member of the Iron Legion and sent the alert directly to all of their phones.

“There was nothing. No one saw anything.” Natasha looked bothered by the fact. It rattled Steve as well. Someone got onto the property without them knowing and left. Stark tech was one of the best out there, second only to Wakanda. Then there’s the fact that was always someone at the Compound. Their Accords liaison, Theodore Rhee, had an office here and usually worked from it. “We need to tell Toni.”

Steve tensed up. Their meeting with Toni had gone less than ideal. While she had accepted that Bucky was just the gun, she still hadn’t forgiven Steve or Natasha for not telling her. The betrayal that was still in her eyes, the way she called them by their last names but called Bucky by a nickname or even-

_“What do you want to be called, Freezy Pop?”_

_“. . . James.”_

_“Alright, Frosty, James it is. Mostly. If I feel like it.”_

-actually made his chest flare up in jealousy. He had no right to feel that way, not after what he did. But his feelings never changed. He could blame what happened on ‘in the heat of the moment’ but it doesn’t change what happened. Doesn’t make Toni’s hurt any better. Steve doesn’t think they can get past this and he can’t find it in himself to blame Toni if she decides never to repair their friendship or rekindle the relationship they almost had.

But he’d do anything, anything, to try.

A slim hand rested on his shoulder, and he peeked down at Natasha. Her face was unreadable but she squeezed his shoulder and stood up.

“I’ll call her.”

“Natas-”

“It’ll be easier on both of you if I do, Steve.”

He had nothing to say to that and thus, didn’t. He simply nodded and watched the small redhead leave the kitchen area. His chest ached and he rubbed at the spot above his heart.

They’d been back for a few weeks and Bucky had made more progress than Steve did when it came to Toni. Rhodes spoke and acted like they were old friends returning from war and while Vision was still wary around Wanda, he was polite to them as if nothing changed.

They didn’t know what happened.

Neither did the others that sided with him, but it made him feel weird about Toni’s side. He nearly killed Rhodes’ best friend and the woman who was basically Vision’s mother and they didn’t know. Pepper had even smiled at them and welcomed them home. And while the world was still divided them coming back, many were glad to see the Avengers (mostly) working together.

Toni had done what she said she wanted to - she helped fixed the Accords up into something that Steve liked. That Steve agreed with. After Shuri had gotten rid of the triggers in Bucky’s head, Toni set him up with a trusted therapist when they first got back.

_“The triggers might be gone, but you’ll still need help. Dr. Singh is the best I know. And the B.A.R.F. will help you as well. But whenever you’re ready, Sugar Plum.”_

Toni just kept giving and giving. And asked for nothing in return but for Steve to keep his distance. Clint had made one, ill-placed joke about it two months when they got back but Toni simply turned her back and-

 _“Hope I don’t break_ my back _on the way out.”_

Steve had never seen a full body flitch before, but Clint had done one.

But that was within the first month of them being back. Clint was getting better at his timing when he did see Toni, the genius joke a bit with Sam and she and Wanda even smiled at each other.

And now this. Someone sneaking onto the Compound and leaving letters for Wanda. Steve knew she was the least popular Avenger. There was footage of her and her brother with Ultron and everyone knew she had a shady past. The media still won’t shut up about it and, shit, those riots.

Steve had no idea that was going or he would have never asked Clint to get Wanda. Clint had been taking his first vacation in years in the middle of nowhere and had no idea either. Otherwise, the archer had said, he would have said something. Since, they’ve all made a point to be as up to date as possible.

But whoever had sent that letter had to know more about Wanda than any of them. And Steve wanted to question Wanda on it. He wanted answers - the fact that someone broke in not only pisses him off but puts the team in danger from anyone.

Steve won’t let his team be in danger in their own home.

The home Toni gave them.

* * *

  **Stark Manor. May 2017.**

It had been hard going back to her childhood home.

The place hadn’t changed since she left in 1992, but had been kept clean and maintained. Her mom’s grand piano was still in the same place, the awful couch Toni couldn’t bring herself to get rid of and even the rugs and the carpet and the paintings were still perfect.

Stepping back into it for the first time in nearly 25 years had sent her back to both good and bad memories.

Cooking with Ana and Jarvis. Playing the piano with her musically gifted mother.

The screaming matches with Howard and the first time he slapped her across the face.

But she has the chance to create new memories. Keep the good and replace the bad.

Howard’s old lab had been torn apart and rebuilt into her own, though his study remained firmly locked. She had refused to go in there or let anyone else. Toni had stepped into once after their service while drunk and she hated to think what it looked like now.

She hated to think of that room at all.

Most of the rooms had been updated, the entire manor redone into the style she liked. The pieces she kept was the awful couch her mother loved, her mother’s piano and the paintings. Everything else she had donated.

She didn’t want anything else from this place.

But with almost everything replaced and only the good things still around, it became easier to breath. Stark Tower was her home, always will be, but she needed this. To be able to separate herself and work, to separate herself and the Avengers sometimes.

Every corner of the Tower holds a memory with the original team. Ultron still haunted those walls and Jarvis still burned from the top to the bottom. It was still her main office, but she no longer kept her lab there and only a few members of the Iron Legion stayed to make sure her employees were safe.

It helps that the tower itself has a new A.I, Tadashi, to keep it running while she moved Friday.to the manor. She had thought about putting Friday, or another A.I in the Compound but talked herself out of it. The team was wary of her A.Is after Ultron and it wasn’t worth the headache. Even now, while things weren’t as bad as they were when they first came back, she didn’t want to tempt it.

They had emergency access to Friday; that was enough.

“Have you eaten today?”

Toni would deny the squeal that popped out of her until the day she actually died.

Auto footage be damned.

Spinning around in her lab chair, she held a hand over her chest as she squinted at Vision. He looked innocent enough, but she could see the amusement. The pain of hearing Jarvis’ voice from his mouth wasn’t as bad anymore, thankfully. But the ache would never go away.

“Viz! Sneaking up on a lady with heart condition! I have raised you better than that, young man.” He still looked amused and Toni did not pout. Not at all.

Video footage be damned.

“A balanced meal might help with that.” It was then she noticed the plate in his hand and smell that drifted over to her. Her mouth may have watered at the sight and smell of the Risotto. Vision had taken up cooking classes and it was showing. His cooking was much better now than it was last year.

Toni made grabby hands.

“You’re one of my favorites, dear. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” With a chuckle, he gave her the plate. In one spoonful, she had her mouth full and a moan left her throat. It tasted just like what she has when she’s at her villa in Italy.

She gave him a thumbs up.

“I take it my second attempt is much better than the first?” He slide in next to her, standing by her workstation as she swallowed.

“I prefer the meat dish over the fish one anyday. Not your fault your teacher taught you the fish one.” He threw her one last amusement glance before his face turned serious. Damn. The good food was a trick - he wants to talk. Deep talk.

Fuck.

“Captain Rogers pulled me aside today.” Double fuck. “He. . . wanted to speak to me on Wanda’s behalf. Wanda. . . She misses me. Captain Rogers made me think - and now I’m wondering, just how can we repair what we had?” Very deep talk. Taking another bite, she put the plate down and laid a hand on Vision’s forearm.

“It takes time and patience and, shit. She hurt you and you need time. It seems like she understands that, as she does give you your space. But never forget, your feelings are valid.” God, how many years did it take for her to understand that? Hell, she didn’t understand it until last year. Until she started seeing Dr. Singh.

There was a brief pause before he spoke again.

“I miss her. I miss what we had.” There was a ghost of a smile on his face. Why did he come to her? She sucks at this so hard. Toni has the whole thing with Rogers to wonder about and the whole team and what their future is.

“And that’s okay.” Toni stood up, moving her hand from his forearm to his shoulder. “It’s okay to miss her. All of this goes at your pace, buddy.” Vision nodded, moving to place his hand over hers.

“I know but I think I-”

“Boss, I’m sorry to interrupt, but Agent Romanov is on the line. She said it’s an emergency.” Toni raised her eyebrow as the call with Romanov’s picture appeared.

“About what?”

“There was a possible break in at the Compound.”


	2. Broken Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Image Daniel Henney as Rhee and the world gets 1000% better.

**Chapter 2: Broken Family**

**Unknown location. Unknown date.**

_ She fell flat on her back, the bamboo stick falling a few feet from her. Above her, a large man shook his head.  _

_ “Get up. You wanted this training. You came to me. Get up.”  _

_ It took all of her strength to push herself up onto her knees. Her hand was shaking when she reached over to get her stick, clutching it tightly as she moved to her feet. Taking the stance, she fixed her eyes on her teacher. She wanted this more than anything. To be a fighter and defend herself and those who can’t defend themselves.  _

_ She was the creator of her fate and this is what she choose for herself.  _

_ “I want this.” She snarled, pushing her aching body forward to strike. He moved like water, block her attack with one motion. “I need this!” Ducking down she kicked out one of her feet to his left knee. He lost his balance for a second and she ramped the top of her bamboo stick into his throat.  _

_ He choked and dropped his stick, giving her an opening.  _

_Using the stick to balance herself, she raised herself up onto and slammed her heel into his nose. Blood poured out of his nose_ _and she dropped herself to the ground at the same time he hit it._

_ “I can do this.” _

* * *

 

**Avengers Compound. May 2017.**

Clint bit into the bright red apple as he watched Toni. 

The whole someone breaking in had –  _ finally _ – brought her into the compound for more than ten minutes. The office just off to the side of the living room was light up with holograms of the cameras around the area. Steve stood just a few steps away from entering, watching the short genius as she moved about. 

The blonde man looked almost defended. Clint couldn’t blame him for the feeling – Toni had barely said hi to him before going into the office. Barnes, the scary bastard, was lurking in the only shadowy part of the office. His eyes also never left Toni. 

This whole thing was starting to creep Clint out. 

“Has she found anything?” He called out, laying across the coffee table on his stomach. Steve opened his mouth but Toni’s voice drifted over first.

“ _ She _ is right here. And would have said something.”

“Yeah, right.”

He meant it as a joke but from Toni’s shift shoulders and Steve Eyebrows of Disappointment, his tone was off. Again. He was trying to patch things up with Toni – he knows he fucked up. The talk he and Steve had after the whole Raft things was clear.

_ “That fucking bitch! She just locked up!” Clint wanted to punch something. “And attacked you after Sam sent her as friend! She’ll fucking pay, man, I swear.” Wanda, Scott and Sam were in the front part of the QuinJet while Clint had followed Steve to the back. He was still bruised up and Clint knew those wounds. They were from the Iron Woman armor. He’d seen her fight enough times to know what it looked liked.  _

_ He wanted to raise Hell on Stark. _

_ “Clint. Stop.” Steve’s voice was hard, back tense as he washed his hands.  _

_ “No, I won’t. She-“ _

_ “Clint.” Steve spoke hard. “Toni didn’t lock you guys up. Ross did.” _

_ “She left us there!” _

_ “Natasha sent me a text!” Steve tossed his phone to Clint, arms crossed over his bare chest. “Read it.” Clint scowled but his eyes looked down.  _

_ [ From Natasha. 11:47 PM ] _

I’m sending the location of the Raft; you’re close by. Toni is going to put it in blackout mood between 1:15 AM and 2:00 AM. You have a forty five minute window. Use it.

_ Clint’s head shot back up. Toni did this. She sent Natasha to send Steve their location. That meant Toni wasn’t able to get past Ross and decided to say ‘fuck it’. Warmth filled his chest at the thought. She didn’t want to leave them in there. She knew they didn’t belong there.  _

_ At the same time, though. . . _

_ “But this doesn’t make up for whatever happened at the bunk-“ _

_ “That was partly my fault.” Guilt just seemed to pour out of Steve. Moving past Clint he landed hard on a chair. “I take the blame for it. The entire situation wouldn’t have happened if I had just-“ He paused, rubbing at his eyes. “It’s not my story to tell.” _

_ “You can’t say all of that and not tell me, Steve. She still looks like the bad guy.” _

_ “She’s not!” Steve took a deep breath. “Just. . . Understand this Clint: I was not innocent.”  _

Clint had called Natasha and she’d meet up with them. She had broken the Accords and Ross wanted her too. Toni had sent her away, knowing it was the only way to keep Natasha out of jail too. Natasha said they both said some things that hurt the other but that Toni had given her a warning to move out now as to not be caught. 

Once every few months, Steve would talk to Toni and be near tears. Whatever had happened back then, Steve was right. 

He was guilty of something. 

Even Barnes looked guilty about something but no one would say anything. Natasha even seemed to know and while she treated Steve no different now, during the first few months on the run she refused to even look at him. 

And Clint saw how Toni wasn’t in the public spotlight for a few months after. A part of him – that still fights to speak and gets him in trouble when it wins – had thought that she was milking it. But during her first public appearance in almost four months, Clint saw it.

The new arc reactor poking out of her dress. 

It had been taken out back in 2013. But that was it, plain as day. When Clint had pointed it out, Steve flinched. Clint really didn’t want to think that Steve had something to do with it. After all, the guy had been pining for Toni since after the Battle of New York. But she had been with Pepper and even after the two broke up, Steve wasn’t sure she was interested. 

She definitely was, but not anymore. 

‘Captain Dad and Iron Mom’ was a joke of the past. 

“Wait-“ Toni’s voice broke Clint was his thoughts, shifting himself to stand and move closer. Sam and Natasha appeared out of fucking nowhere, the assholes. “Between 5:48 AM and 5:53 AM, there’s a copy of the five minutes before.” 

“What does that mean?” Thank God it was who Steve got the ‘are you fucking serious’ look from Toni. She sighed and brought up two videos. Sam moved closer and furrowed his brows. 

“It’s the same. Frame by frame.” Toni nodded. 

“Exactly. It was during those minutes that someone sneaked in and put that letter in. Then replaced the footage with the minutes beforehand. Smart, since it was a quiet morning and the wind was barely moving. But it was the shadow of a bird flying across that clued me in on the fact. Hell, they even managed to change the timestamp.” She paused. “I kinda wanna hire them.”

Clint snickered, a large grin on his. He almost fist pumped the air when Toni returned it with a small smile. Closed off, but he’d take it. Steve looked unimpressed and narrowed his eyes.

“Toni, they’re threatening Wanda.”

“They sent a piece of paper with a date.” Toni raised her brow, arms crossed. It wasn’t the letter that had them fucked up, it was the fact that someone broke in. A date isn’t threatening; it was a personal date to Wanda, yes, but nothing that threatened her life. 

Steve looked like he wanted to argue but Barnes marched forward and studied the videos over Toni’s head. She nearly jumped and just huffed at him. 

“Whoever they are, they’re good at stealth. Having avoided the other cameras and the sensors all together.” Toni sighed leaning on the worktable. Huh. That was the most Clint has ever heard Barnes speak. 

It was a little unsettling. 

“They know my systems. My codes.” She mumbled, but Clint read her lips.

Steve pushed into Toni’s space but Clint saw the barely there flitch. How Steve paused and took a half a step back. Glancing over, he shared a look with Natasha. After a few moments, she shook her head and turned back to them. Clint turned up his hearing aids so he could hear.

“Are you saying this is an inside job?” 

“One,” Toni snarled, “don’t ever imply my employees are  _ traitors _ . Two, I didn’t say that. I’m not the only tech genius out there – if they try hard enough, work long enough, anyone of them could have figured it out. My tech is good, Rogers, but not unhackable.” 

She was glaring and while Steve had taken another step back, he still held her gaze. 

“Can’t we just,” Sam slide in between the two heavyweight Superheroes, “try and put up a trap? I mean, this won’t be the last one, right? We have to be able to come up with something to catch them. If not for the letter directly, then for breaking into private property.” 

Toni nodded, passed a knowing look to Clint before turning away and past Barnes to grab her car keys. Clint took a deep breath and bit his tongue. “I have a few ideas. I’ll send them over once I’m done with my meeting.” 

Steve stepped forward, reaching for Toni’s arm. She shifted out of his grasp and kept walking. “SI meeting?” He called out, moving past Natasha and Clint. A part of Clint wanted to know too. Toni used to –  _ before Ultron, before Wanda _ – tell them about her meetings. Those days were over, clearly. Her back was still to them.

“It’s my business, Rogers.” 

Then she was gone. 

“Well, stayed for long than ten minutes this time.” Sam said, walking up to Steve’s side. Steve’s hands were over his face, and Clint saw more than heard the sigh. 

“How do I fix this? I fucked up, I fucked up our relationship with her, i-“

“Steve, man,” Clint landed a hand on his shoulder. “The cracks were there. If Ultron hadn’t of happened, this whole ‘Civil War’ might not of happened.” Steve could blame himself but Toni did start it. Steve may have furthered the cracks, but Toni created them with a murder-bot. 

“We should have tried to understand better.” Steve mumbled, moving to the couch and laying himself back against it. “Something happened in that bunker when she went in. Before that, she wanted Thor to take it off world for what Loki-“ He glanced at Clint before his eyes moved towards the ceiling. 

There was a silence that drifted over the group, a silence that Clint hated. This whole situation was bullshit. Toni was barely talking to them, they were basically on house arrest with a babysitter and someone had broken into the Compound to get a letter to Wanda. 

The Avengers used to be mighty, they used to be on top of the world. 

Now look at them. 

It was enough to turn Clint’s stomach. He threw the apple into the trash. He had lost his appetite. 

* * *

Sam sat back on the couch, not even watching what was on TV.

He had tried to talk to Wanda, but the rest mist still floated around the edges of her door. It had even wrapped around his wrist to pull his hand from her door. She didn’t want to talk, not even to Steve or Clint. Natasha hadn’t even tried, deeming it useless. 

_ “She’ll come out when she’s ready.”  _

Three days was long enough to hide. Had she even eaten? Or did she leave her room when the rest of them were sleeping? Sam wasn’t sure but he was worried about her. 

“-nderstand.” Rhee walked in, phone pressed to his ear and suit in perfect shape. Black hair was carefully styled, face clean shaved that showed a strong jawline. Sam watched their babysitter for a few moments, but the Korean-American man simply ignored Sam. “Yes. The meeting is still on for 3 PM. I understand.” His words were polite enough but his tone was strained. He mumbled a few more words too low for Sam to hear and then hung up. Running a hand through his hair, he walked by the couch next to Sam. “. . . Is this-“

“Maybe.”

“’Little Einsteins’.” Rhee’s tone gave nothing away. He simply grabbed the remote and turned it off. “I hope the others didn’t forget about our 3PM meeting.” Rhee was a government lacky but damn could he be kinda scary. Dark eyes were blank, as if seeing into Sam’s very soul. 

“No, Rhee. No one forgot. Steve and Clint are grabbing Wanda now.” Rhee nodded before leaving the room. Letting out a breath, Sam lifted himself off of the couch and started towards the meeting room. He wasn’t looking forward to another meeting about their parole. 

Sliding into the meeting room, he paused when he saw Rhodes, his leg braces fitting from his waist to his ankles. It was sleek and modern looking; very much Stark’s work. A flare of guilt raised up in him, but Sam pushed it down. 

Rhodes would give him another leture if he saw the look. 

“Hey, Rhodes.” He said softly, moving further into the room. The older man turned and gave Sam a smile that made his heart skip a beat. Rhodes turned fully to him, turning his head slightly up to look Sam in the eyes. 

“I keep telling you Sammy, it’s Jim.” Rhod- Jim patted Sam on the shoulder and nudged him towards a seat. “Take a seat, man. The others should be here soon.” Just then, Natasha walked into the room and slide herself into a seat. She glanced at the leg braces before meeting Jim’s eyes. 

“You look good, Rhodes.”

Jim’s eyes were soft when he looked at her but only nodded. Jim took them coming back the best; he had spent time post-Ultron with them and had gotten to know them, after all. Sam had missed him something fierce when they were gone and got the welcome home he only dreamed about. 

Vision wondered in next, passing by Jim’s chair to sit on his other side. Sam passed him his own smile and Vision returned it. He was more human now than he was last year and his growth was pretty amazing. 

Leaning back in his seat, Sam let his mind wonder. While the meeting was mostly about their future with the Avengers, Steve wanted to bring up the letter Wanda got. Her behavior was worrying - even further by the fact that she had been with HYDRA during the date. Sam knew that much, of course, but he didn’t know anything else.

She had joined HYDRA, then Ultron, then the Avengers. The inbetween wasn’t really there and Sam berated himself for just know thinking about it. 

Barnes stalked in moments later and sat by Natasha, across from Sam. Sam felt a foot lightly hit his and kicked back. Barnes raised a brow and kicked back. They went back and forth before a smaller foot got between theirs and Natasha was glaring between them. 

“Children.”

“He started it.” They both had said and Jim rolled his eyes.

“Well, I’m ending it.” Natasha fired back, eyes narrowed. “You hit my foot.” Barnes moved his chair an inch away from Natasha and Sam moved closer to Jim. She wouldn’t attack Jim - she liked him too much. The other man was like a safe base. 

“Is Rhee here yet?” Steve’s voice called out. Sam turned and saw him and Clint as well as Wanda behind them. Her eyes were red rimmed and tears tracks still marked her cheeks. A stab of sympathy went though Sam. That letter really hit Wanda hard and it showed. Her hair was messy, her sweater dress was wrinkled and her feet bare. Might have been worse than they thought - she didn’t even look at Vision. Clint had an arm around her shoulders and lead her to by Natasha. The younger woman and sat between the two spies and Steve moved to sit by Sam. 

“Not yet,” Jim answered, glancing at his watch. 

Sam leaned over to speak in Steve’s ear.

“Should she even be here? She still looks torn up.”

“I know.” Steve mumbled back, blue eyes locked on Wanda. “But we all need to be and this way, she can tell Rhee in her own words.” Rhee had wanted to speak to Wanda alone but Steve insisted they all be with there. Which was why it was going to take place after this meeting. 

“Good, I don’t have to track anyone down.”  _ This time _ , went unsaid. Sam saw Steve frown and started to open his mouth, but Rhee cut in. “We’re going to start-”

“Where’s Toni?” Rhee raised a brow.

“She had a prior engagement.” 

“Important enough to miss another meeting?” Steve pushed but Sam a hand on his arm and shook his head. Steve could complain all he wanted about Toni missing the meeting, but it would fall on deaf ears. They had been told, by Toni herself, that she wouldn’t be around all the time anyways. She didn’t live at the Compound and she was a full member of the Avengers. Herself, Vision and Jim were the only ones. 

Besides, if the news was right the past year, she’d been working with the Fantastic Four. They had signed the Accords and were working double time while the whole Avengers thing was being sorted out. 

“That is for Dr. Stark to tell you.” With a flick of his wrist, holograms appeared. It was a hint that the conversation was over. Wanda mumbled something and Sam saw Natasha nudge her and give her a look. The younger woman quieted down and just looked blankly at the screen in front of her.

“This is the one month check in and just to make sure everyone understands their position.” Rhee really sent shivers down Sam’s back and he’d faced the Winter Soldier. Damn. “The house arrest where you six aren’t to leave the Compound unless with myself or an approval from the Council. The therapy, however, is something only two of you have gone to. That is a requirement if you wish to be fully reinstated as Avengers.” Sam understood why that would be a requirement - and he agreed with it. He was happy with his own therapist, Dr. Julien Rose, and Barnes seemed brighter after his own sessions. 

Steve and the others were more hestated. 

“I’m waiting to hear back from Toni. I sent in a request the other day.” Clint said, leaning back in his chair. “I’d prefer to have the therapist I had before.” Rhee nodded. 

“We saw your request and the Council agrees. Dr. Stark sent me the information this morning and you and I will go over it later today.” Clint nodded, glancing over at Wanda. She had been the most outspoken about not wanting to see someone. Sam had talked her into seeing someone but after this whole letter thing, Sam wondered how far back he was with it. “Ms. Maximoff?” She didn’t even look at Rhee. 

“I do not wish to see someone.”

“It’s not up in the air for talks. This is a requirement. The Council wants everyone to be at the best mentally.” He placed the hard look to not just Wanda but Steve and Natasha as well. “The mental evaluation with many of you was concorning when you first got back. In three months when we have the four month update, the Council needs to see improvements.” 

She tensed a lot a more, shoulders nearly to her ears as she curled in on herself. There was for nothing more a moment before she gave a jerky nod. And while Rhee nodded, he didn’t believe her. Sam could see it on his face. Rhee gave the same cool look to Steve and Natasha. Steve shook his head.

“I don’t think-”

“This is long overdue for you, Captain.” Rhee stated. “You should have been seeing someone when you came out of the ice. That’s not your fault, that’s the fault of SHIELD. We’re trying to fix that. Mental health now and days isn’t viewed the same as it was during the 30s and 40s.” Steve still look unconvinced but Barnes sighed loudly. 

“You’re going, punk.” Steve’s head snapped up and Sam blinked owlishly at Barnes before turning to Steve. The blonde looked more relaxed and a little happy - some tensen he had before was gone with the old nickname. 

Steve gave Rhee a jerky nod. “I’ll look at the therapist you sent but I can’t make any promises.” That was as good as it was going to get. Steve would usually talk to Sam, but Sam was too close and biased. He needed a third party; someone who wasn’t involved in their lives. 

Rhee turned to Natasha but she spoke first.

“I sent in a name with the Council this morning.” Rhee’s lip twitched into almost a smile. Sam squinted. Did he even smile? Like, could he grin at all? 

He really doubted it. 

“Moving on then. How is the training going, Colonial?” Jim sat a little straighter. 

“Everyone is in perfect shape. They work well together as a team, Agent Rhee.” He glanced at Wanda. She completely ignored him. “I had brought up my only issue - Wanda seems to think her powers are enough and doesn’t understand why she needs to learn how to fight hand-to-hand.” 

Rhee nodded once again. “Ms. Maximoff, we talked about this. It’s good to have a set of skills, but keep thinking about what if’s. ‘What if someone had a way to bind my powers?’ or ‘What if someone has an immunity to magic?’. The the training in other skills will help you.” He waved a hand at Natasha and Clint. “You have two of the best teachers in the world. Use them.” His voice left no room for an argument, though Wanda looked like she wanted to put one up. 

And did.

“I am strong - my powers are strong.” She shook her head. “Me learning how to use knives is a waste of time. And I refuse to use  _ guns _ .” She spat the word out like a curse, arms moving to cross under her chest. Rhee sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Sam would feel bad for him but there was a reason no one else had wanted his job. 

Jim had said anyone who was asked turned it down flat. Rhee signed up for this. 

“Colonial Rhodes is your commanding officer. If you all get reinstated as Avengers, he will be team leader. If he says for you to learn hand-to-hand or training with weapons,  _ you will do it _ .” Sam shifted. While they knew about that change, it was hard to swallow. They were so used to Steve’s style of leading, he wasn’t sure how well the others would take Jim taking the helm. 

Wanda’s face pinched but Jim spoke before she could.

“That’s final, Wanda. I need to know you have all points covered. I need also need to know the level of control with your powers. I know we did the bare minimum when it came to training before but we’re not doing that anymore.” His eyes were soft on Wanda and she reacted better to that than Rhee’s cool gaze. “Before I submit anything to the Council, I want to make sure we’re all at our best physically and can have each others backs.” 

The Sokovian woman relaxed her arms before placing them on the table. She and Jim stared at each other for a moment before she nodded. “Alright.”

Rhee made a few notes before putting his hands behind his back. 

“The only other thing I was to reinforce is this: you six are on thin ice. While America is happy to have you back, the rest of the world is not. Germany, Romania and Nigeria have expressed their displeasure most of all. Even if you were to be put on the roaster for the team, if a country doesn’t want to let a certain member in, you will not be be on that mission.” 

Steve stood, one hand formed into a fist. 

“And if we’re needed?”

“There’s a reason this is a team, Captain. And we can’t force ourselves into a country or into a conflict. Doing so will be seen as an act of war on America’s part.” Rhee’s eyes narrowed into a glare and Sam just realized - Rhee was the same height, if not an inch taller, than Steve. While a little slimer, the man did have a strong built. 

It made Sam wonder why exactly Rhee wanted to this job instead of being an Agent. 

“If people are in danger-”

“You did not care about that when you collapsed tunnel on civilians.” Steve looked away, shame covering his features. Barnes, too, held the same look. Even though Sam had come in late into that fight, he still shift uncomfortably. Over a dozen had been injured, one member of the Task Force dead and a little girl who had to get her legs amputated.  

Sam really wanted to know how Stark got them home. 

A silence covered the room, an uncomfortable that spoke its own volume. Last year as a shit storm and they all knew it. They played everything wrong. There were better ways to handle everything. America may have forgiven them but the rest of the world?

They might only be working inside the US while others take international issues. 

Already Iron Woman and The Vision had been called out twice since they’ve been here. One was in Japan, something about a sea monster. The other up in Norway and a wizard. The world as a whole trust Iron Woman to do her job. It showed in everything. 

They were barely allowed out of the Compound but she was taking on international jobs to protect people. She had stayed and saw the Accords though and stood with the people. 

No wonder they loved her as they did. 

Steve sat back down and Sam patted his shoulder. “Anything else, Agent?” Rhee stared hard at Steve before swiping his hologram again. 

“Ah, Dr. Stark just sent out an email. She talked to someone about putting up protection spells around the Compound.” All heads shot up and got into their own emails. Right there, Sam opened it. 

_ Dudes, _

_ Got a wizard to agree to do some magic on the Compound for protection against our little fox.  _

_ We’ll be by tomorrow. _

_          Never Yours (expect for Honey Bear, always yours), _

_                           T. Stark _

“She knows a wizard?” Steve’s brows furrowed and he frowned. Sam watched with a raised brow as Jim simply grinned. Rhee removed the holograms expect for his and Wanda. 

“Speaking of the Compound, Wanda - about our said little ‘fox’ and their letter.”

Wanda visibly flinched. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited for the plans I have in the future. It's gonna be great. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Not everything is fleshed out in this chapter - like how they got the pardons, how things actually work around the Compound but that's all coming up. 
> 
> Also: it's late as fuck where I am and I'm sleepy. Imma double proof read when I get off work. 
> 
> <3


End file.
